A Breath Away. Rita Herron
A spine-tingling tale of love, betrayal and deadly small-town secrets….
VIOLET BAKER: beautiful, troubled…traumatized by her childhood friend’s murder
Haunted by ghosts from her past, Violet’s quest for answers, coupled with psychic visions of a serial killer and his victims, quickly puts her in danger.
Then the killer targets her as his next victim….
Although she is terrified of her growing desire for Grady Monroe, she is forced to turn to him for protection. But he is the one man who knows her terrible secret—that she is to blame for his sister’s death….
GRADY MONROE: sexy, vengeful, bitter…determined to solve his sister’s case
Plagued by guilt, this loner has never allowed a woman close. Then Violet Baker returns, stirring his passion with her sexy, vulnerable eyes, and heating his blood with lust. Her visions may lead him to the serial killer and his sister’s murderer, but he must guard his heart against falling in love….
THE BONE WHISTLER: twisted, ruthless…obsessive
This killer believes his ritualistic sacrifices are necessary for himself, the greater good…and for the glory of his Father.
Will his connection to Violet Baker lead her into his waiting hands, or will it lead to his own demise?
The answer is just A Breath Away….
Romantic Times raves about Rita Herron!
HER EYEWITNESS
“Rita Herron will grab your attention.”
SAVING HIS SON
“4 stars! Romance and suspense prove an awesome combination…Rita Herron produces a prime intrigue.”
SILENT SURRENDER
“The beauty of [this book] is the wonderful chemistry between [hero and heroine] and the emotional growth we see when they’re together.”
MEMORIES OF MEGAN
“[This] suspenseful tale will leave readers breathless with its unexpected twists and turns and characters caught up in a ruthless conspiracy.”
THE CRADLE MISSION
“An exciting and engaging read.”
MARRY ME, MADDIE
“An author to watch!”
A Breath Away
Rita Herron
To:
Karen Solem for believing in this story, Tracy Farrell and Kim Nadelson for bringing it to print, Carmen, Stephanie, Jennifer and Jenni for your constant support, and to my husband, Lee, for lending his expertise in medical research to the sinister plot!
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
PROLOGUE
Crow’s Landing, Tennessee
“HELP ME….” Darlene’s whispery plea echoed inside eight-year-old Violet Baker’s head. “Please…s-somebody…help me.”
Violet wrapped her arms around her teddy bear, Bobo, rocking back and forth on her bed. Even though the thunderstorm raged outside, she’d heard Darlene’s terrified cries in her head all night. Poor Darlene hated storms.
A tree branch scraped the window, and lightning zigzagged across the black sky. Violet rubbed her fingers over her half of the Best Friends necklace Darlene had given her. Violet had a strange connection with Darlene. They’d had it since they were little. Probably because they were both motherless. Nobody in Crow’s Landing knew about their connection, though. It had been their little secret.
Until Violet had told her daddy.
He’d spanked her. Said if she claimed she heard things in her head, the whole dang town would think she was as mad as old Miss Laudy. Old Miss Laudy had ended up in a crazy house.
“Nobody needs to know what goes on behind closed doors,” her father had yelled. “And stay away from that family—them Monroes ain’t nothin’ but snobs.”
But Darlene Monroe wasn’t a snob. When kids at school teased Violet about wearing Goodwill clothes and standing in the free-lunch line, Darlene yelled at them to shut up. Darlene told Violet secrets and invited her to her playhouse, where they had tea parties. And they dressed up in Darlene’s mama’s old ball dresses and pretended they were princesses.
“Violet, p…lease. I’m…sca…” The whisper faded, as if Darlene was growing weaker. She was shivering and wet. Cold. All the way to her bones. The smell of a dead animal turned Violet’s stomach. There was muddy creek water. And blood.
She had to help Darlene!
She jumped off the bed and peered through the crack in the door. Grammy Baker sat in the old wooden chair in the den. Sheriff Tate stood beside her. His khaki uniform was splattered with mud. Darlene’s father, a big man with a woolly beard, paced back and forth, tugging at his chin. Darlene’s thirteen-year-old brother, Grady, stared at Violet’s door, his dark eyes hard and cold. Accusing. Violet lurched back as if he’d burned her. Did he know about the connection she and Darlene shared?
If he did, he knew she’d told her daddy where to hunt for Darlene. Violet was trying to help. She loved Darlene. Darlene was her best friend in the whole wide world.
Or maybe Grady knew it was her fault Darlene was missing. If she hadn’t begged Darlene to hurry over to see her new birthday bear, her friend wouldn’t have set off by herself. She’d have waited for Grady….
“You didn’t find her?” Violet’s father asked.
The sheriff shook his head. “We checked the old schoolhouse like you suggested, but weren’t nothing there.”
Oh, no. She’d made a mistake. She’d thought Darlene was at the schoolhouse because that’s where Darlene had wanted to be. Someplace safe.
But she wasn’t safe.
Images flashed like photographs in Violet’s mind. Dirty water gurgling. Copperheads and water moccasins slithering through the wet leaves. The smell of rotting wood. The well house out by Shanty Annie’s.